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family · Wednesday 8 July 2026 · Various 
Carlow Library School Holiday Children's Workshops
At Carlow County Library · Tullow Street, Carlow Town, Co. Carlow
At Carlow County Library · Tullow Street, Carlow Town, Co. Carlow
Carlow County Library runs a free programme of children’s workshops through July and August each year, timed to keep younger minds busy during the long school holidays. The sessions cover art, crafts, storytelling and STEM activities - hands-on, drop-in-friendly events that give kids aged roughly 6 to 12 something to look forward to each week. It is a genuinely useful thing to know about if you are in Carlow with children in tow and do not fancy another afternoon staring at a screen.
The workshops run alongside Ireland’s national Summer Stars reading challenge, which encourages children to read their way through the holidays by logging books at the library. The two complement each other well - a child can collect their Summer Stars stamp and then stay on for a craft session or a science experiment in the same visit. In previous years Carlow County Library has run sessions on coding basics, creative writing, science experiments and seasonal art projects, with different themes rotating through the weeks. Spaces are limited, so it is worth ringing ahead or checking the library’s events page once the full schedule drops - usually in late June. Some sessions also run at branch libraries in Tullow and Bagenalstown, which is useful if you are not based in the town itself.
Carlow County Library sits on Tullow Street, right in the centre of Carlow town, a short walk from the bus station on Barrack Street. Bus Eireann runs regular services into Carlow from Dublin, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford - the journey from Dublin takes around an hour and a quarter. If you are driving, Carlow is on the N9/M9 corridor and is easy to reach from Leinster in particular. Car parking is available in the town centre at the Fairgreen multi-storey and on Kennedy Avenue, both within a few minutes’ walk of the library.
Carlow town is compact and easy to cover on foot. The Medieval Mile - the stretch along the River Barrow taking in Carlow Castle, the Cathedral of the Assumption and the town’s old mill buildings - makes for a pleasant half-hour walk before or after a library session. There is more to see in Carlow and across Co. Carlow.
Heading to Carlow County Library in Carlow? Carlow has plenty more to see. Read the Carlow area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.